Legislative candidates spar at forum

Hopefuls running in 36th state Senate, 77th state Assembly races

EL CAJON  A state legislative candidate forum in El Cajon got off to a contentious start Tuesday night when the campaign manager for state Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, tried to appear on behalf of his candidate but relented after at least one of Anderson’s opponents objected.

Most of the candidates running in the 36th state Senate and 77th state Assembly races attended the forum, organized by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce. Anderson’s campaign manager Collin McGlashen said Anderson missed the event because he was busy in Sacramento, and accused those who objected to McGlashen participating in Anderson’s place of not being “willing to have a full discussion of the issues.”

Republican opponent Jeff Stone, a Riverside County supervisor, pharmacist and business owner, responded by saying he was “disappointed” Anderson had attended only one of 12 public forums held in the competitive race to replace termed-out state Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta.

“I think it’s healthy for candidates to get together so that citizens can see where they stand on the issues, what their history has been and what they plan on doing for the state,” Stone told the audience of about 100 at the El Cajon Elks Lodge. Stone also said he was running after nearly 20 years in elected office in Riverside County because he was “upset with the way the state of California was being run.”

Republican Greg Stephens, a Rancho San Diego pastor, also pointed to voter accountability, bringing up a recent Los Angeles Times article that reported Anderson had used the state Legislature’s taxpayer-funded direct-mail operation more heavily than any other member since the beginning of 2009.

Stephens said he was not “a career politician” and the only combat veteran in the race.

In the 77th state Assembly race, candidates tried to highlight the differences in their qualifications, with Republican candidate Christine Rubin talking about her experience as a business owner and former state official and saying she was the only one of the three Republican candidates in the race to campaign in every area of the district. Her Republican opponents are Bill Wells, an El Cajon city councilman, hospital administrator and registered nurse, and Brian Jones, a Santee city councilman and motorcycle salesman.

To laughs, Rubin said, “If you want someone to represent you in Santee, then Brian’s your guy. If you want someone to represent you in El Cajon, Bill’s your guy. If you want someone to represent you in Sacramento, I’m your guy.”

Jones repeatedly brought up development in Santee and his experience overseeing the budget there, while Wells touted endorsements he said he had received from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the National Rifle Association, among others.

Two uncontested candidates also spoke: Mark Hanson, who is the only Democrat running in the 77th state Assembly race, and Paul Clay, the only Democrat running in the 36th state Senate race.

The districts cover much of inland San Diego County, with the 77th state Assembly district running from University City north to the Riverside County line and east to the Imperial County. The 36th state Senate district includes the southwestern Riverside County communities of Temecula and Murrieta and stretches almost to the U.S.-Mexico border.